BFFP Newsletter 🌍 📰 : Landmark complaint launched against Unilever and other stories!

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Subject: BFFP Newsletter 🌍 📰 : Landmark complaint launched against Unilever and other stories!

Latest News and Updates

April 30, 2026

A group of protesters stands outside the DENR Central Office, holding a stack of papers and signs.

Filipino Communities File Landmark Complaint Against Unilever for Decades of Plastic Pollution

Communities across the Philippines filed a landmark pollution complaint against Unilever before the Department of Environment and Natural Resources's Pollution Adjudication Board on April 27, 2026, holding the company responsible for billions of non-recyclable plastic sachets that have clogged waterways, damaged ecosystems, and put livelihoods at risk for decades. The complaint demands fines, cleanup costs, and a halt to multi-layer plastic packaging production.

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Aerial view of a petrochemical plant at dusk with large storage tanks. Text overlay reports a fatal chemical leak, highlighting environmental impact.

Lethal “Chemical Emergency” at Industrial Plant in West Virginia, U.S.

On April 22, 2026, Catalyst Refiners, a silver recovery business in Nitro, West Virginia, had an industrial incident that “appears to have resulted in the creation of chemical fumes,” according to the corporate operator of the plant. Two plant workers died, and more than 30 additional people sought medical treatment.

Silver plays a critical role in plastic production, specifically acting as a catalyst for the creation of ethylene oxide and formaldehyde, which are key components of polyesters, resins, and other plastics.

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A large landfill site with waste piled high, surrounded by garbage trucks and excavators.

Photo credit: AZWI

Landfill Disasters Across Asia Signal a Climate Emergency

Across Asia, landfill disasters are escalating, and communities are paying the price. From deadly waste landslides in Indonesia and the Philippines to massive landfill fires in Thailand and the Philippines, communities are facing toxic pollution, loss of life, and escalating risks driven by methane emissions and extreme weather. These are not isolated tragedies but the result of a broken, plastic-dependent system that puts profit over people.

As documented by BFFP members like the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) and the Alliance for Zero Waste Indonesia (AZWI), frontline communities are calling for real solutions: reduce plastic production, hold polluters accountable, and invest in zero waste systems that protect both people and the planet. The time for false solutions has passed; systemic change can’t wait.

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A diverse group of about 35 people pose indoors, smiling, with a banner reading “#BreakFreeFromPlastic América Latina y el Caribe“ above.

Coming together across borders to strengthen zero waste strategies and build a future beyond false solutions.

Regional Coordination for Zero Waste in Central America

With an agenda focused on strengthening the regional work of BFFP and GAIA, a members' meeting was held at CESTA El Salvador, where, for the first time, organizations from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and El Salvador gathered to share experiences, align strategies, and deepen joint efforts around zero waste, reuse, and rejection of false solutions.

As part of this gathering, an international seminar of zero waste was also held, featuring municipal representatives in a hand-on workshop. The agenda continued in Costa Rica with a film screening and discussion of the documentary Burning Injustice and concluded with a presentation at the Legislative Assembly during the roundtable discussion “Organic Waste Management in Costa Rica”, where the opportunities presented by zero waste and the risks of incineration were addressed.

More photos

Text image announcing the CEJAD-ICLD Conference 2026 on sustainable waste governance, scheduled for May 4-6 in Nairobi, Kenya. Includes logos of Centre for Environment Justice and Development and Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy.

Photo credit: CEJAD-ICLD

Nairobi Conference to Address Inclusive Waste Governance in Kenya's Counties

The upcoming CEJAD-ICLD conference which will take place from 4-6 May 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, aims to bring together policymakers, researchers, civil society, and local governments to share actionable practices for just and democratic waste governance, to strengthen service delivery and deepen local democracy.

Waste management is framed as a democratic issue; decisions about service delivery, labour recognition, and resource distribution require accountable, inclusive governance. Marginalised groups, especially waste pickers, must have meaningful participation in policy decisions.

Plastic waste poses severe environmental and economic threats, particularly in coastal and tourism-dependent counties, underscoring the need for effective and legitimate governance.

A large, diverse group of people hold signs reading “To End Plastic Pollution, Stop Making Plastic“ and “#BreakFreeFromPlastic“ outside a modern building.

Our Next Decade, Together

Did you know? BFFP turns 10 in 2026. From a small group of organisations, it has grown into a diverse, global movement helping to drive change towards a future free from plastic pollution. See our original vision here.

Thank you to everyone who has already taken part in our consultations and shared their expertise and perspectives. Together, we are shaping a renewed vision and approach for the next decade - building on our collective achievements and defining what comes next. We invite you to continue to shape this global movement with us as we accelerate the shift towards a world free from plastic pollution.

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Digital Media Hub: Resources Exclusively Available for BFFP Members

The Digital Media Hub is a one-stop space for digital campaign resources. Inside, you’ll find social media templates, graphics, and the BFFP style guide.

This page is password-protected and exclusive to BFFP members only. Use hJ8*yDe as the password. Please do not share the link or password with anyone outside the movement. Access it here.

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Subject: BFFP Newsletter 🌍 📰 : Landmark complaint launched against Unilever and other stories!